As many of you know, originally the site covered many, many SP FPS games, maybe 20. Over time that got cut down to 15, then 10 and now we have 5. All for Half-Life and that’s perfect. In addition to creating the maps and mods posts, I also started creating lots of other types of posts; now grouped into Phillip’s Blog. These types of posts intersperse the main content – the maps and mods.

I enjoy creating these types of posts and I know that a few people enjoy reading them.

The Challenge

With the imminent release of Half-Life 3 confirmed for January 2016 (OMG, I bet you nearly choked on your coffee.) There’s no imminent release of HL3, but all of this extra content “gets in the way” of the main content. If this were removed then the site would present itself as a better focused resource.

What is it now? A database of SP maps and mods with other content OR a personal blog with some reviews OR Half-Life themed community OR OR OR. When people visit the site it needs to be immediately clear what it is.

Perhaps I have tried to be too many things to too many readers.

Possible Solution 1

Do nothing. Try to make the navigation better, especially with regard to what is shown on the frontpage.I don’t think this is the solution.

Possible Solution 2 A/B

Move all the non-map and mod content back onto PlanetPhillip.comNow when I say “all” I mean almost all. Some things should stay if they are directly related to maps and mods; end of year reviews, event articles, Reader to Reader. I’m not sure exactly what should stay and what should go, but if this is the route chosen, then I will decide carefully before doing it. Solution A is to continue posting new articles on PP and solution B is to just use it as an archive, with no new content added.

Possible Solution 3

LambdaGeneration is about to rise like a Phoenix and re-invent itself. At first those changes will only look cosmetic but the changes are much deeper than that. This is not the place nor is it my place to discuss those long-term changes, but suffice to say the future is exciting. Currently, it covers all of Valve’s games but has plans I think Half-Life fans will appreciate in the long-term.

The ideal place for my non-map and mod content is here. My Twitter followers may have noticed my tweet about buying the domain a few weeks/months back (I can’t remember exactly). LG is perfectly placed to offer my content a stable home AND a wider audience (it gets approximately 25 times more visits per month than RTSL).

Hopefully, all of the old content can be transferred across WITH the comments, but we will need to do some testing first. However, ALL new content I write would be published on LG, again, except for the content that is directly related to maps and mods.

Now, please don’t think this is just a one-way street, with LG getting all my content and giving nothing back in return. On the contary, Alex, the owner and designer of LG, will be involved in helping RTSL provide a better service to its readers. This could involve design changes and new initiatives.

Possible Solution 4

Register a completely new domain and move all the non-map and mod content to there.I don’t see much benefit to doing this, but maybe there is a good reason.

Possible Solution 5

Simple delete the non-map and mod content. Back up the database just before I do this, just in case, but simply delete it and focus on maps and mods. I haven’t ruled this out because the older posts don’t get that many views any more and very very few comments. This would be the easiest thing to do. If I decide to write new stuff then I can post it on LG.

Important Decision

Whilst all the content being moved is interesting and important, if I woke up tomorrow and found I had been hacked and it had been deleted, I would get over it. It’s the maps and mods that are the core reason for my creating the site and for most people’s reason for visiting.

I feel I need to focus on that much more. And perhaps if I didn’t write so much other stuff, I would be able to backdate the older maps and add newly released stuff faster.

I really haven’t decided and I want to hear your honest opinions and feedback.

There are still lots of things to discuss about a possible move to LG, like could we move readers accounts across to save you having to register there too etc. Don’t worry, my content won’t get lost on LG, it will be easy to find and new content will still be written as and when I feel like it – much the same as now.

54 Comments

First, I was rather surprised that LG and RTSL / PP *weren’t* already much more closely tied together than they had been. I mean I knew of both of them for approximately the same time frame but I have mostly been following here, and the occasional other bit from folks scattered around like the Steamcast and whatnot.

I’d personally prefer the site as it is right now, to be as it is right now. The availability of the mods and maps isn’t in my opinion ‘interrupted’ by any of the other discussion, and frankly the presence OF those discussions is why I’ve had RTSL in my main bookmark tab since you reopened under that name. Because the sense of community is MUCH better, than what you’d get with just the mods/maps and their limited commentary and discussions.

While I do prefer a more ‘forum style’ comment system, and would jump at having an RTSL forum again, that may be where LG comes in, it may not. I don’t follow Twitter in any case so I don’t even know what all they do already that isn’t really covered in some form here. if there’s a way to tie the two together but maintain what’s here, I’m for that.

Normally I’m a ‘change is bad mmkay’ type, but the changes back between PlanetPhillip and RTSL were in my opinion much for the better. With the inclusion of another site… I don’t know how to feel about that, because I’m quite comfortable with what’s here right now and how it’s presented, for the most part. I’m sure there is a lot of existing crossover between the LG community and here, probably more than I realize, but I haven’t followed it closely enough to say whether there’s any kind of conflicting or too-different-to-reconcile issues that might come up.

I’m also sort of the opinion that ‘more options are better than fewer’ – while it’s great to know that LG and RTSL will be partnered, I’d honestly say I’d prefer them remain *distinct* in ways, because certain aspects might appeal to one group than another. Lumping everyone in together might not be the best option. I’m not following ‘all the Valve games’ – I don’t bother with any pvp or much else, I love the Half Life saga and Portal and pretty much that’s what I’m here to look at.

Kinda feels like… we just got the dust settled from the changes already being made. I’d prefer to see this site and all its components currently available, remain as they are. I’ll certainly adjust to things, but I’m not much interested in ‘all the other games’ so … that’s why I’ve chosen here over any other mod site/community.

while it’s great to know that LG and RTSL will be partnered, I’d honestly say I’d prefer them remain *distinct* in ways, because certain aspects might appeal to one group than another. Lumping everyone in together might not be the best option. I’m not following ‘all the Valve games’ – I don’t bother with any pvp or much else, I love the Half Life saga and Portal and pretty much that’s what I’m here to look at.

Well, the distinction would be that RTSL has the maps and mods and LG has the other stuff. LG will eventually be totally focused on Half-Life.

To be honest, I think the best solution is actually Solution 1. But I enjoy all of the content, and breaking it up or moving it around just means I have to add another RSS feed to my reader, so (except for Solution 5) none of these will really change the site for me. Maybe I’m not like other readers, but having your bloggier posts in with the mod stuff doesn’t confuse me in the least, and any other option seems like more work for both of us.

Solution 2 is a close second to me, and it might make you feel like you have more room for blogging so you have greater creative freedom since it’s definitely out of the way of maps/mods (and if this leads to more content and makes you happier than lumping things together, switch my vote over to this). If you do that, would it be possible for you to link our accounts on the two sites, so we have the same login on each end? Also, would there be any chance of adding more games to the new more map-oriented RSTL, or do you think other sites (e.g. Doomworld for Doom stuff) have those covered well enough already?

It’s good to know that you are happy with how things are now. As I mentioned in the main post, IF I move the content, we would look at whether it is possible to link the accounts. I am fully aware how annoying it is to have to create yet more accounts. That said, the ONLY reason to have an account here is for the Recommendations.

Also, there is absolutely no chance of adding more games. I don’t have the time to run the site properly as it is and more games would just make it worse.

I think that a lot of people’s opinion will be based on how they use & view the site to start with. At least that will be true of the long term loyal followers you have looked after for years.

If you’re thinking of people who just start at the main (front) page and explore from there, then the key will be easy navigation, seemingly we all have low tolerance of having to put in too much effort to find what we’ve come for, as in, by a search or whatever.

The majority of your key supporters will probably have the site on an RSS feed as Neo mentioned above. The keener ones will pick up every tid-bit going and play/comment/review. Some of us though don’t have the time to put in to play everything, or even to compose proper reviews, but we like to keep up with what the site is doing nevertheless. Having the chance to actually explore the full resource that it offers is, to me at least, a luxury, but one that I’d be sad to lose. I hardly ever get chance to play these days, but do try to keep up with the “villes” collections, and any Map/Mod that gets overwhelmingly positive write-ups.

I like the site the way it is, but as a very rare contributor my opinion might not carry much weight, and that’s fine. My bet is that you’ll give this a lot of thought and that everyone will be behind you whatever you decide.

Thank you for the unbelievable amount of time and effort you clearly put in, it’s extremely appreciated.

I like the site the way it is, but as a very rare contributor my opinion might not carry much weight, and that’s fine. My bet is that you’ll give this a lot of thought and that everyone will be behind you whatever you decide.

Thank you for the unbelievable amount of time and effort you clearly put in, it’s extremely appreciated.

The fact that you took the time to comment means your opinion DOES matter to me.

I come here for the mods and SP maps. ..everything else is secondary and besides the point.
I have been a fan pf PP for as long back as I can remember and was sad that the name changed to RTSL ( ?? )
I like the way the mods are organized but am sometimes frustrated at how some of the older mods don’t work even with known gameinfo.txt fixes.

In a perfect world …Planet Philip would :

1: Concentrate on what brought me here …mods and SP maps.
2: Update the older games …some no longer have working DL links.
3: Fixing the gameinfo.txt files to work with the *#**@ changes STEAM made.
4: Have a section for fixes (see #3)
5: Travolta, Schwarzenegger and Stallone would stop wearing those silly black Brillo pads on their heads and embrace their baldness.

I like the way the mods are organized but am sometimes frustrated at how some of the older mods don’t work even with known gameinfo.txt fixes.

Yeah, you and me both, but of course that’s Valve’s fault.

I like the idea of a fixes section. Can you tell me more what you are thinking?Ideally, I should be updating the archive when somebody finds and posts a fix but that’s tough for me because I should really test it myself and I struggle for time.

If somebody does find a fix, I could add a TAG until I have updated the archive. How does that sound?

It’s not clear what problem you’re trying to solve here. Do you feel that the site’s lack of a razor-sharp focus is hurting it? I mean, you only cover SP releases for 5 games that are between 8 and 17 years old, that’s already pretty focused.

It’s sounding like you’re wanting the site to only be a database of SP HL maps & mods. That’s fine, but that’s boring. Yes, it’s great to have a searchable, sortable database to find what you want – but if that’s all the site is, it’s sterile and stagnant. Do you want to be ModDB? I hope not.

You seem to want to separate the wheat from the chaff, but I think for a lot of us, the chaff is the wheat if that makes sense. Some are here mainly for the discussion and “other” content, not mainly for the maps and mods posted. Most are here for both. Of course some are here for only new maps & mods, but is that the majority?

It’s the “extra” content that often helps this feel like a community.

In my view, everything except option 1 (leave as is, improve navigation) and 3 (partner with LambdaGeneration) is not reasonable. I personally don’t like the idea of splitting things between sites.

Let me suggest another option: a forum. Yes, I know you have tried this in the past and have deleted them shortly thereafter. But a forum on this site would provide a good method of posting all the “extra” type of content like polls, discussion questions, etc. – both without splitting to a different site and without cluttering up the front page. There could still be good discussion and participation on a forum, while still being a part of RTSL.

Phillip, at the end of your post, you write that you need to focus on posting maps & mods, and updating the older stuff already on the site – and that if you didn’t write so much of the “extra” stuff you could focus. This seems to be a separate effort or decision from what you’re asking in this post. What I mean is: is it you or the site that lacks focus? 🙂

Once my post gets out of moderation hell, I'll say: I didn't use those words exactly but… that IS what I considered writing. I like it here because we DO have a bit of chat batted around, and it's NOT just a list of mods/maps. That's *all* Moddb is. It's not as terrible a cesspool as, say, the Facepunch forum or even the Steam discussion hubs are, but it's definitely not a 'place' I'd want to hang out. RTSL… very much is.

It’s not clear what problem you’re trying to solve here. Do you feel that the site’s lack of a razor-sharp focus is hurting it? I mean, you only cover SP releases for 5 games that are between 8 and 17 years old, that’s already pretty focused.

I am trying to ensure that I provide what the visitors want. I feel that the “other” content gets in the way of what people really want – maps and mods.

It’s sounding like you’re wanting the site to only be a database of SP HL maps & mods. That’s fine, but that’s boring. Yes, it’s great to have a searchable, sortable database to find what you want – but if that’s all the site is, it’s sterile and stagnant. Do you want to be ModDB? I hope not.

Well, there are lots of good things about ModDB.

You seem to want to separate the wheat from the chaff, but I think for a lot of us, the chaff is the wheat if that makes sense. Some are here mainly for the discussion and “other” content, not mainly for the maps and mods posted. Most are here for both. Of course some are here for only new maps & mods, but is that the majority?

I thought so. I believe that most non-commenters come here for the maps and mods, but the vocal ones also like the “other” content.

It’s the “extra” content that often helps this feel like a community.

Agreed.

In my view, everything except option 1 (leave as is, improve navigation) and 3 (partner with LambdaGeneration) is not reasonable. I personally don’t like the idea of splitting things between sites.

Okay.

Let me suggest another option: a forum. Yes, I know you have tried this in the past and have deleted them shortly thereafter. But a forum on this site would provide a good method of posting all the “extra” type of content like polls, discussion questions, etc. – both without splitting to a different site and without cluttering up the front page. There could still be good discussion and participation on a forum, while still being a part of RTSL.

I disagree with the idea of a forum. I don’t think I deleted the previous one shortly afterwards. I think (although I could be wrong) I gave it at least 3 months. People just didn’t use it. However, if I posted stuff there instead of the site that would help, but users would have to create new accounts as the plugins that join the forum software with WordPress are not very well supported and each time an upgrade comes along, there are new problems.

What I mean is: is it you or the site that lacks focus? 🙂

Aren’t they the same thing? I am the kind of person who likes to clear his desk before he starts work. Think of the potential move as the ultimate clearing of my desk.

I joined for the mods, and enjoy participating in some discussion. A small community suits me, where you get to know regulars, and people are more polite. The bigger it gets, the harder it is to manage trolls. The site’s fine, if a little confusing structurally.

I joined for the mods, and enjoy participating in some discussion. A small community suits me, where you get to know regulars, and people are more polite. The bigger it gets, the harder it is to manage trolls.

Criticism is fine – it’s how we improve. However, some of the things you mention, which have responded to below are not structural but navigation, which is just as important. I have responed to each point. Forgive me if I sound adimant but it’s becasue in general I feel the navigation is well-thought out. However, I also recognize that new users always have insightful comments.

Where else should it go? I could move it to PLAY I suppsoe. Fair point.

Shouldn’t Calendar be in HOME?

I don’t think so, becasue it’s related to the events, which are all about participation. Remember, the events are not suppsoed to just be live streams, but streams with live chat, more reviews and other content related to those events.

In ‘Listen’ you have ‘General Discussions’ – are these podcasts?

Yes, these are general discussion podcasts.

Why not call Special Events Podcasts?

All the posts in LISTEN are podcasts.

How is ‘Participate’ different from ‘General Discussion’?

“General Discussion” describe the content of the podcast whereas “participate” is more about user interaction.

You have Live streams in Participate rather than Watch, which doesn’t make sense to me.

As I mentioned above, that’s because the live streams are part of an event not just a video.

Maybe have a heading for MEDIA that groups audio and video?

I feel this would be confusing. Then peope would expct images in there as well.

You have plenty of room across the top – you could have PODCASTS, VIDEOS/STREAMING as separate headers?

You might have plenty of room on your screen but lower resolution don’t. I have to worry about those users too.

HELP on far right including ‘Technical Help’, ‘Site Updates’, ‘Mod Fixes’ and ‘Contact’?

While I don’t really contribute to the discussions on this site, I still read every one, including this one :^). I’m not sure how I would feel if they were split from the website, or were limited in subject.

If your problem is people are having a difficult time navigating, a good idea would be to have an options page when you first open the site, sort of like a hub. Having a page that displays a few choices, like Play Mods! and Participate! Kinda what you have at the top of the screen, but more in your face, prevalent, and simple.

If your problem is people are having a difficult time navigating, a good idea would be to have an options page when you first open the site, sort of like a hub. Having a page that displays a few choices, like Play Mods! and Participate! Kinda what you have at the top of the screen, but more in your face, prevalent, and simple.

Of course, I could be completely wrong about what you are saying.

It’s probably a bad thing but I believe the site is very easy to navigate. I might offer too many options with regards to some ways of displaying things though.

I quite like the idea of of a page that puts choices in users faces. Maybe I could make a QUICK START page for non-logged in users. I’ll ponder that idea, thanks.

In my opinion keep everything as it is.. I believe that your page has evolved so much and in such a great way over the past few years that it is truly perfect.

If you really need to split certain things you can by giving those things their own category but regarding news posts on the main site why not? I for once don’t mind em mixed with new map / mod release news. I mean it’s not like you’re posting about 10 new mods per day so why bother to change anything?

It’s even beneficial in that regard that more people may feel compelled to join certain discussions open questioning rounds etc. as they see it on the main page. I for once don’t use twitter nor FB nor any other social media crap. Splitting your content would be to also split and divide your community. I don’t say you shouldn’t use it but make sure that it’s also mentioned on your main page.

So I’m all for Solution 1 enhance what may need enhancement but don’t change to much as it’s close to perfection. That being said rather use your limited time to test out more maps & mods for both hl1 & hl2 I know there are still countless good maps & mods stored on your ftp. 🙂

I too am wondering what problem you are trying to solve? Is it an actual problem brought to your attention by a number of folks, or is it a perceived problem from your end? It may be that you’re trying to solve something that isn’t really an issue with your visitors.

If you’re trying to get more people to the site, unfortunately the web address does a huge disservice and says absolutely nothing about what you do here: promote Half-Life modding. PlanetPhillip wasn’t any better, but it was understandable at the time because you started something akin to a blog.

My personal feeling, and I’ve followed this site (and PP since nearly the start), is that I like seeing all the various content together. We all know HL modding is slowing down, so seeing posts, surveys, introspective pieces, etc. between any potential map downloads is a great feature. I however may be different than other site visitors, in that I’m completely caught up on the HL maps and mods from years back, so I never visit that section. I basically just view what’s new on the top of the site.

I too am wondering what problem you are trying to solve? Is it an actual problem brought to your attention by a number of folks, or is it a perceived problem from your end? It may be that you’re trying to solve something that isn’t really an issue with your visitors.

A little of both. Perhaps I just want the excuse of not having to write stuff to keep the site feeling active because playing maps and mods is hard for me, but I can write any time.

If you’re trying to get more people to the site, unfortunately the web address does a huge disservice and says absolutely nothing about what you do here: promote Half-Life modding. PlanetPhillip wasn’t any better, but it was understandable at the time because you started something akin to a blog.

I competely disagree with you on this. The actual name of a domain is of little important in fidning it. It’s not relevant to a search either. It’s the content that counts. Otherwise I would call the site “AWebsiteAboutHalf-LifeMods.com”.

My personal feeling, and I’ve followed this site (and PP since nearly the start), is that I like seeing all the various content together. We all know HL modding is slowing down, so seeing posts, surveys, introspective pieces, etc. between any potential map downloads is a great feature. I however may be different than other site visitors, in that I’m completely caught up on the HL maps and mods from years back, so I never visit that section. I basically just view what’s new on the top of the site.

That’s interesting. I think that many people are like you and just read or play what’s on the top of the page. That’s why when I update an old mod, I put it on the frontpage. otherwise very few people would see it.

FWIW, I share the same doubts about Lambda Generation. It’s not the first time they’ve tried to reboot their way back to relevance, but I just don’t see the point in having another “Generic Valve” news site. There’s no Half-Life news to cover and whatever speculation exists, the Reddit is better prepared to deal with it. Even Valve Time has gone to the DOTA2 kids, and I have zero interest in that.

Concerning Option 1, I don’t believe it should be off the table. I do think that RTSL continues to have serious layout issues, primarily regarding a woefully inefficient use of space, especially the “above the fold” space. Initially, I wrote it off as acquiescing to mobile users, but even you expressed your disappointment at the mobile experience (and given how much I have to flick up to see anything, it’s easy to see why). I’ve said before that I wind up navigating the site using the Last 100 Comments page. That’s not how it should be.

Appreciate your doubts Maki, over the next few months LambdaGeneration will be making some changes which I hope you will enjoy. We don’t intend to become a generic Valve news site as everyone involved is pretty much a Half-Life fanatic at heart. We’ve struggled to find staff over the last year or so to cover essential news. The reason Phillip has suggested what he has is because after several discussions from cross-involvement between our sites, we realised both sites had the same goals and aspirations and so we have explored ways we can work together. Maybe the move he suggested is not the right option, but there’s certainly some potential to do something great for the community with the resources we have.

I think it really comes down to: I want to read game-specific info here, and not elsewhere, and not have to divide my efforts to find and review mods, or get the specific info I want, across *more* sites. No interest at all in filtering through *other games* on a forum.

I know I can come here, and see *purely* hl related items. At most: the occasional portal or full conversion. It’s really not a matter of ‘what I saw first’, in case that’s something to question – I have all the sites bookmarked and have occasionally had to jaunt around for things. It’s that my preference is the format and in fact layout of this site, in addition to its contents. What works on one site doesn’t necessarily on another, and the last thing I want is for two or more sites to suddenly take on their same appearance or style. That, I’ll just leave the sites, period.

Crossover populations are fine with me. I understand the desire to have more connecting the individual sites… but … this one’s where I’ll be, and where I’ve found that commenting and discussion with people *actually seems to be fun*.

I am primarily interested in the mod/map pages that relate to the HL Universe. I also include Portal in this group. Even if said map is just something you install in the Steam Workshop, it’s still great to have a page on the site that tells me how to find it with User reviews. The contests that are organized make for some fun things to play when there are no new mods.

The thing I love about this site (and the old site) is that it provides me a single place to go to see what is new. I hardly ever go to ModDB any more because I know Phillip is out searching for new content. Even if I don’t have time to play what Phillip posts I download it anyway and it is ready for me when I do.

Sometimes the non-mod content can be interesting but it isn’t the reason I come here. I am not really into watching live streams of others playing. However, if I am stuck in a mod then being able to watch Phillip’s recorded stream can be a life-saver!

I am going to respond to each comment after I finish this one but I wanted to say that I am aware that a significant part of the community feeling is created by commenting on “other” posts and IF they moved that would change.

I am also aware that in general, it’s the people who don’t like a change that comment, whereas those that don’t mind or care, say nothing. However, I won’t automatically take silence (i.e. no comments to mean agreement).

Okay, phew. I think I have responded to almost each and every comment and I thank you all for them.

I have no exact date to make a decision but no decision is a kind of decision – if you get what I mean.

One last point, in the main post I mention that I don’t think solution 1 is the right one. That doesn’t mean I have completely decided on some change. There is still the possibility that things won’t change and the general feeling of the comments here seem to suggest that is what you want.

Yes, good job. I think getting critical attention to what happens here is of vital importance to you to ensure you’re meeting as many people’s goals as possible. That’s good management there, to find out what people want and why. Your efforts are hugely appreciated by all of us.